A GED graduate from West Georgia Technical College’s Adult Education program was recently awarded the state’s GED Graduate Outstanding Achievement award at a ceremony in Atlanta.

“When Charlene Caldwell was 15 years old, she quit school to help her parents with their new business,” said Karen Kirchler, Vice President of Adult Education. “They had just opened a restaurant, and Charlene took charge of the night shift. Neither of her parents had earned a high school diploma, and though they wanted their children to finish high school, they needed help and Charlene was more than willing. At 15, she wasn’t convinced of the importance of finishing high school and it was too hard to work and go to school.”

Years later, Caldwell would open a successful restaurant with her husband, only to see it closed after a highway expansion project took their property and closed the business.

“In 2003, after the closure of her restaurant business, Charlene Caldwell made an important decision,” said Kirchler. “It was a decision to do something for herself. She had made choices to help her parents. She had made choices to always be there for her children and husband. But this time, she made a choice for herself. Tired of dead-end jobs and limited opportunities, she decided that she was worth a second chance.”

Many high school dropouts face similar obstacles in the professional world. An educational diploma is the only thing separating many hard-working adults from the career of their dreams.

Caldwell had always dreamed of being a law enforcement officer, but had never been able to return to school and obtain an educational diploma.  She enrolled in WGTC’s Adult Education program at the age of 45. Her fears of being the oldest student in the program were quickly dispelled.

“That was the hardest thing—to make that first step. I was so much older,” said Caldwell. “When I arrived, I realized that there were people my age, and older.”

Caldwell struggled throughout her academic journey, but finally passed the GED test in 2005. Soon after, she was presented with the “Above and Beyond” award from LIFT, the Carroll County Certified Literate Community Program.

Her dream of becoming a law enforcement officer became a reality when she began working for the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. She became a guard in the county jail and discovered a new passion—helping troubled inmates find hope.

Caldwell recently chose to pursue a new career as a substance abuse counselor, and has since enrolled at Shorter University’s Criminal Justice program, where she will graduate in the spring of 2017.

“That’s my calling,” said Caldwell.  “I see so many of these girls at the jail.  I talk to them honestly.  We all have skeletons in our closets.  I’m lucky that none of my bad choices when I was younger ever landed me in jail.”

Caldwell is one of many WGTC Adult Education products who have earned a GED and moved on to a rewarding career.  More than 340 students have earned their GED diploma through WGTC in 2016. 

WGTC’s Adult Education program was named on Sept. 28 among seven technical colleges in the state who received the “Overall Achievement of Educational Gains Benchmarks” in fiscal year 2016. The award is presented to programs that meet statewide performance benchmarks, which represent students making measurable academic gains in the areas of reading, math, writing and English-language skills.